Hybodus
| image = MA_00076548_hkkm4u.jpg | image_caption = Artistic impression of Hybodus fraasi | image_width = 240px | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | subphylum = Vertebrata | classis = Chondrichthyes | ordo = †Hybodontiformes | familia = †Hybodontidae | genus = †''Hybodus'' | genus_authority = Agassiz, 1837 | species = +''Hybodus fraasi'' | binomial_authority = Agassiz, 1837 }} Hybodus is a genus of prehistoric hybodont sharks that lived during the late Permian to late Cretaceous periods. Description Hybodus species grew to about 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length. As one of the most bizarre prehistoric sharks, Hybodus had strange horns on the top of their heads. When they bit into large prey, they twisted to get a chunk of flesh. These predators had acute hearing, and the sound of splashing betrayed an animal in distress. Hybodus sharks appeared at the end of the Permian and disappeared at the mid-Cretaceous. They are prey of larger predators which may explain why its dorsal fin evolved a spike - to make swallowing them harder. They also probably lived in the shallow seas, away from giant marine reptiles, including pliosaurs. The first fossilized teeth from Hybodus were found in England around 1845. Since then teeth (and dorsal spines) have been recovered from around the world. The mouth was not large, and rather than ruthlessly hunt large prey, Hybodus, was capable of eating a wide range of foods. They had two different types of teeth, suggesting a wide diet. The sharper teeth would have been used to catch slippery prey, while the flatter teeth probably helped them crush shelled creatures. Popular culture * Hybodus was seen in Walking With Dinosaurs episode Cruel Sea, where several Hybodus were seen watching a mother Ophthalmosaurus ''struggle to give birth. As the sharks homed in, they scattered as the massive silhouette of an old, bull ''Liopleurodon ''appeared. Another ''Hybodus was seen pursuing an Ophthalmosaurus pup. The pup hid inbetween some coral and then darted away. Then the Hybodus shark then gave up. Months later, several Hybodus were seen following a trail of blood left by a female Liopleurodon whose flipper was ripped by the old bull Liopleurodon. It also appears in the Walking With Dinosaurs spinoff, Sea Monsters, where a Hybodus was seen alongside the crocodilian Metriorhynchus attacking a sick and slow Leedsichthys. The constant attacks later caused the Leedsichthys to die. * It also appears in Jurassic Park: Builder in the Aquatic Park, although it requires dino-bucks. Category:Fish Category:Cartilaginous Fish Category:Sharks Category:Carnivores Category:Small Carnivores Category:Permian fish Category:Permian animals Category:Triassic fish Category:Triassic animals Category:Jurassic fish Category:Jurassic animals Category:Cretaceous fish Category:Cretaceous animals Category:Cedar Mountain Fauna Category:Walking with dinosaurs animals Category:Sea Monsters Creatures Category:Jurassic Park: Builder Creatures Category:Fossil taxa described in 1837 Category:Prehistoric Kingdom Category:Aquatic life Category:Aquatic animals Category:Aquatic Predators Category:Fishing Strike creatures Category:Mesozoic animals Category:Mesozoic fish Category:Paleozoic animals Category:Paleozoic fish Category:Prehistoric fish of North America Category:Green River Formation Category:Dinosaur Park Formation Category:Neogene animals Category:Neogene fish Category:Miocene animals Category:Miocene fish Category:Oligocene animals Category:Oligocene fish Category:Pleistocene animals Category:Cenozoic animals Category:Cenozoic fish